Thousands flee homes in Syria ‘population swap’

By day and by night, thousands of civilians and fighters continue to be evacuated from four besieged towns in Syria under a deal struck between the Assad regime and rebels.

The transfers are the latest in a long series over six years of civil war.

Encircled by insurgents, people from the pro-government Shi’ite towns of Kefraya and al-Foua are being taken to regime-held areas while those in rebel-held Zabadani and Madaya, under siege from pro-Assad forces, are being bussed to the insurgents’ northwestern stronghold in Idlib province.

After two years of living under siege, evacuees were allowed to leave under the agreement brokered by Qatar, which support the rebels and Iran which backs the regime.

The reality for children inside besieged towns in Syria. A first person account of a convoy to #Madaya Forbes https://t.co/v898hYi4wV— UNICEF (UNICEF) 14 avril 2017

Many in the opposition view the population swap as forced demographic change while others claim men, women and children are simply being transferred from one danger zone to another.